Wee Brain teaser.....

[scotlass]

I could be settin maself up as a right dafty and youse all get it right away ( I argued with maself for 20mins....) but here goes.

A woman goes into a shoe shop for a $30 pair of shoes and pays with a $50 note. Salesman doesn't have enough change so he goes to the shop next door to break the $50. He returns to the shop and gives her the $20 change. A while later the shopkeeper from next door storms into the shoe shop, it turns out the note he gave her was a fake, the mortified shoekeeper gives the shopkeeper $50 from the till to apologise. Neither the customer or the shoes she took are found. In total, how much did the shoe shop lose ?

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

$70?

 

[crispychicky]

I'll play!

I'll say $50. $30 for the shoes and $20 for the legit $20 in change he gave the woman. The two shopkeepers just traded the real $50 back and forth, so no net loss there.

 

[Anna114]

Actually the $50 they gave the other store, $20 in change PLUS the cost of the shoes.

 

[Magic Mom]

The shoekeeper is out $50. $30 for the shoes and $20 for the change.

 

[FireDancer]

I was thinking $100 using this logic:

Before the transaction lets say the shopkeeper had $100 in her drawer and the shoes on the shelf. After the transaction she has $130 in the drawer and the shoes gone. After the neighbor comes over she has $30 in the drawer (plus a worthless counterfeit $50) and the shoes gone. She is out $70 + $30.

The actual profit she is out will be less since I'm assuming the shoes were sold at some price above cost.

ETA:

That should be $80 in the drawer plus a worthless $50 making them out $50, not $100.

 

[merekc]

Maybe I'm crazy but I would think $150. Out $30 shoes, out the $20 change he gave, out the $50 fake bill and the other $50 to the other shop keeper.

 

[Amy]

$70 cash, plus the $30 shoes.

Shoestore owner got $50 in real cash from next door, gave the woman $20 change (loss), put $30 back in his drawer. He then gave the next door store owner $50 from his drawer (loss). $20 + $50 = $70, plus the shoes.

 

[TinklednPants]

$70 cash, plus the $30 shoes.

Shoestore owner got $50 in real cash from next door, gave the woman $20 change (loss), put $30 back in his drawer. He then gave the next door store owner $50 from his drawer (loss). $20 + $50 = $70, plus the shoes.

This is correct...$100 in total.

 

[TinklednPants]

Actually the $50 they gave the other store, $20 in change PLUS the cost of the shoes.

OOPS. This is also correct.

 

[crispychicky]

$70 cash, plus the $30 shoes.

Shoestore owner got $50 in real cash from next door, gave the woman $20 change (loss), put $30 back in his drawer. He then gave the next door store owner $50 from his drawer (loss). $20 + $50 = $70, plus the shoes.

You forgot to count the $50 he got from next door as a gain.
+$50 from next door -$20 change -$50 returned to next door = $20 in the hole plus the cost of the shoes.

 

[FireDancer]

You forgot to count the $50 he got from next door as a gain.
+$50 from next door -$20 change -$50 returned to next door = $20 in the hole plus the cost of the shoes.

That was my original thinking but you have to subtract the $50 twice. Once for the real $50 you give back to the neighbor and again for the worthless $50 you now have. It was never actually a $50 gain, it was a straight swap.

 

[mrsxsparrow]

You forgot to count the $50 he got from next door as a gain.
+$50 from next door -$20 change -$50 returned to next door = $20 in the hole plus the cost of the shoes.

I'm going with this. Say the cashier has $100. Customer hands over $50, which he switches for two $20's and a $10. Hands the customer back $20, so now the cashier has $130. Other store owner comes over and demands $50, so now the cashier is left with $80. Since he started with $100, he's out $20 + cost of shoes, for a total of $50.

It would be the same as if he had enough change. If the customer gave him a fake $50, it'd be like she handed him nothing, and he handed her $20 and a $30 pair of shoes... which comes to $50 lost.

 

[FireDancer]

I'm going with this. Say the cashier has $100. Customer hands over $50, which he switches for two $20's and a $10. Hands the customer back $20, so now the cashier has $130. Other store owner comes over and demands $50, so now the cashier is left with $80. Since he started with $100, he's out $20 + cost of shoes, for a total of $50.

It would be the same as if he had enough change. If the customer gave him a fake $50, it'd be like she handed him nothing, and he handed her $20 and a $30 pair of shoes... which comes to $50 lost.

That was exactly my original thinking but what you are leaving out, and I did too, is that of that $80 left in the drawer $50 is counterfeit and worthless leaving only $30 of real currency in the drawer.

 

[Magic Mom]

You forgot to count the $50 he got from next door as a gain.
+$50 from next door -$20 change -$50 returned to next door = $20 in the hole plus the cost of the shoes.

This is correct. The shoe seller started with $0 and a $30 pair of shoes. He traded a worthless counterfeit (received from the buyer) for $50 with the shopkeeper. So he now has free $50 and the $30 shoes. The customer takes the $30 shoes and $20. Now the Shoe Seller has $30 (free cash from shop keeper) and is even. Later the shopkeeper takes $50 back. So the shoe seller is out the value of the shoes and an extra $20. That's $50.

 

[bethbuchall]

$70 cash, plus the $30 shoes.

Shoestore owner got $50 in real cash from next door, gave the woman $20 change (loss), put $30 back in his drawer. He then gave the next door store owner $50 from his drawer (loss). $20 + $50 = $70, plus the shoes.

No, because you are forgetting to offset the $50 loss by the $30 "gained". So, either you can call the shoes a loss or call the full $50 a loss but not both. I say it's a loss of $20 + whatever the shoes cost the owner.

Owner gives counterfeit $50 to neighbor and gets "real" $20 + $30
Owner is now +$30 (the other $20 in change to customer)
Neighbor comes tells Owner that the $50 was counterfeit.
Owner reimburses Neighbor and is now -$20 and out the shoes, too

(Of course, I may be completely wrong)

 

[bethbuchall]

That was exactly my original thinking but what you are leaving out, and I did too, is that of that $80 left in the drawer $50 is counterfeit and worthless leaving only $30 of real currency in the drawer.

I don't think so. The counterfeit bill originally went to the neighbor, so it isn't in the count at that point. Now I'm really confused.

 

[mrsxsparrow]

That was exactly my original thinking but what you are leaving out, and I did too, is that of that $80 left in the drawer $50 is counterfeit and worthless leaving only $30 of real currency in the drawer.

No, the other guy has the fake $50. If the cashier has $100, then trades the fake $50 for change, and gives the customer $20, all of the $130 in the register is real money. Then the other guy comes storming over with the fake $50, so the cashier takes out $50, leaving him with $80 plus the fake $50.

 

[FireDancer]

I don't think so. The counterfeit bill originally went to the neighbor, so it isn't in the count at that point. Now I'm really confused.

Yeah, I think you are right. I might have subtracted the counterfeit $50 twice in hind sight. Obviously I am in need of some additional caffeine to think clearly.

$100 in drawer and shoes in the morning. Customer buys shoes with counterfeit cash and gets $20 change so there is now $130 in the drawer (after the swap with the neighbor). Neighbor comes to take back their $50 leaving $80 in the drawer plus the bad $50, not including, which leaves them out $50 total.

 

[bethbuchall]

Yeah, I think you are right. I might have subtracted the counterfeit $50 twice in hind sight. Obviously I am in need of some additional caffeine to think clearly.

$100 in drawer and shoes in the morning. Customer buys shoes with counterfeit cash and gets $20 change so there is now $130 in the drawer (after the swap with the neighbor). Neighbor comes to take back their $50 leaving $80 in the drawer plus the bad $50, not including, which leaves them out $50 total.

The funny part is that I saw your first post (unedited) before I started typing my first post. I was going to reference an agreement to your post, but it had changed by then. So, then I had to draw myself a few pictures to make sure that I still thought I was right. It's that time of the day!